gets closer to that fiscal cliff and the federal debt keeps rising. some people, very few, are taking matters into their own hands by reaching into their own pockets. cnn's kyung lah talked with one man who's trying to make a difference. >> well, candy, this is not a young guy. he's been around for 85 years. and in that time, he says he has heard a lot of hot air coming out of washington, and finally, especially as we're watching these fiscal cliff talks continue or not continue, he has had it. in his unheated garage, 85-year-old garcia is working to fix the fiscal cliff, one can at a time. how much money have you sent the government? >> a little bit over $3,000. >> reporter: $3,197.88, to be exact. all tracked on a hand-written ledger. the last three years, garcia has been paying the government $50 a month of his postal service pension and money from cans he collects. >> we are paying absolutely too much interest. >> reporter: it really bothers you? >> it bothers me, because it makes no sense. >> reporter: sense something garcia's wife of 59 years th